Two
new cds by Ian Bostridge confirm his stature as an interpreter of
lieder. His voice is always put to expressive use, not to mention
considerably stretched by Janácek's vocal demands. The tenor's
Schubert is no longer an unknown quantity, which is not a reason to
ignore this disc as he once again brings to our attention some of the
composer's deeper utterances alongside more familiar items. The disc
is arranged by poet, with more than half given over to Mayrhofer and
Goethe. It is Janácek, however, who claims our attention, for
he is one of the 20th century's major composers and Diary of One
Who Vanished is one of the major song cycles of the period.
Bostridge explores the character of the poor young man enamored of the
gypsy maiden, finally running off with her. The contribution of
composer-pianist Thomas Adès is a major factor in the success,
substantiated by his solo contributions (Moravian Folksongs and
assorted miniatures for piano). Two extracts from the composer's first
version of the Diary lead to the assumption that in fact he
entirely rewrote the work.

After
episodic appearances in various recordings, here is the first solo
recording of Juan Diego Flórez, nothing but Rossini, and it is
a pleasure to hear this music sung not only with accuracy but with a
matchless timbre. The tenor is not afraid of Rossini's many high notes
or complicated figuration, adding his own variants during the repeats
as well as additional climactic high notes. The arias from the comic
operas he has sung on stage (Barber, Italiana, Cenerentola)
are delivered with punch, while those from the serious operas (Semiramide,
Otello, Zelmira, Donna del lago) demonstrate that it is
unnecessary for these works to be retired from circulation. Chailly's
pointed accompaniments only add to our enjoyment of what is one of
this year's major discoveries.

Is
Magdalena Kozená truly a mezzo-soprano as she has been
announced? I'm not sure, as her bright voice sounds far more soprano
as she heads on high, while her lower register lacks the punch that
others bring to the same selections. That is perhaps my only
reservation about this album which brings us a wealth of little-known
music alongside the familiar (Nozze di Figaro, Clemenza di Tito).
It is interesting to hear a selection from Gluck's version of the
latter (reused in Iphigénie en Tauride) as well, to the
point that it would perhaps be a revelation for many to hear the Gluck
in its entirety (a pleasure I have already had). Myslivecek is another
composer totally forgotten today, and Kozená whets our appetite
for more with selections from Abramo ed Isacco, Antigona
and L'Olimpiade. If you are uncertain, listen to the aria from
Antigona (originally for tenor) and then check out the contrasting
aria from Gluck's Clemenza and I think you will agree that
this CD is a must.

After
participating in a great many recordings with the cream of the baroque
movement and one recital disc devoted to American songs that received
somewhat confidential distribution, Patricia Petibon joins forces with
violinist Patrick Cohën-Akenine for a traversal of the French
baroque. Not only do we have her singing the sprightly music which
usually falls to her, but Jonathan's lament over David (Charpentier)
and two impressive solos from Lully's Armide indicate that she has the
makings of a fine tragédienne. Her ability to live the music
has always been noteworthy, with this disc showing that she can be
trusted beyond the soubrette roles that are her lot. The final
selection on the disc, a cantata by Nicolas Racot de Grandval (Rien
du tout - Nothing at all), is a parody in all senses of the word,
and Petibon uses her musicological knowledge to illuminate her
singing.

EMI's
Debut series has been dressed up with this new release, and texts are
included, but you will have to consult their web site for the French
and German translations. Daniil Shtoda's pleasant tenor voice is
slowly attracting notice, and this presentation disc makes a good
calling card., though we might have been better served a few years
hence when his musical insights have deepened. Larissa Gergieva is
sometimes heavy-handed, but her encouragement of the young Russian
school of singers is not to be denied. The repertory is not especially
familiar, which increases the value of the release.

New
releases of singers of the past (whether distant or recent) are always
welcome, particularly with the advent of new technologies, in this
instance cd-rom, eliminating the need for bulky accompanying booklets.
In this instance, all discs also function as cd-rom, with the artist
biographies (sometimes hagiographies) repeated from the booklet, the
texts and translations, a discography of material available from the
various Universal components, a photo gallery and links to the
appropriate Universal web pages. The CDs themselves vary in interest,
some duplicating material readily available elsewhere but many
restoring items that one had despaired of ever hearing again, unless
in possession of the original lps, or even 78s. One might question the
necessity of hearing "Oh holy night" in four different
renditions (Pavarotti, Sutherland, Nilsson, Tebaldi), all of which are
certainly curiosities but hardly "essential". And then there
are the soupy arrangements for the "crossover" items by
Douglas Gamley and crew which even turn Rossini into schmaltz. For
those of us who possess some of the material on other CDs or even LPs,
it is distressing when items are omitted (the cabaletta from Huguénots
on the Sills CD, a Rossini or Mozart by Berganza that never made it to
CD, etc.

General
complaints now out of the way, on to the individual discs. Particular
favorites include George London, Maggie Teyte, Beverly Sills, Nicolai
Ghiaurov, Hermann Prey, Suzanne Danco, Martti Talvela. In the case of
George London, it will be for many an introduction to a baritone who
should have taken his place among the Wagnerian immortals had illness
not taken its toll. The Wagner excerpts demonstrate how much we
missed, while the Broadway items are far more convincing than what
many of today's "personalities" can offer. Beverly Sills had
the misfortune to record for a company that went out of business so
that it is only now that DGG has acquired the catalogue that we are
catching up. The excerpts from her French aria album were always worth
listening to, and as I already stated it is unfortunate that part of
one aria was omitted to make room for other material (although I am
glad that it was not I who had to make such a choice). It is also good
to have a reminder of Nicolai Ghiaurov in his prime, singing French
and Russian arias with his particular brand of velvet, something
missed in the later years of his career. Suzanne Danco has turned up
sporadically on CD, but it is good to be reminded that she had a much
larger repertory than the current catalogue would lead us to believe.
Operatic arias from Dido and Aeneas, Louise, Traviata, Carmen,
Alceste and Manon, Strauss songs and Debussy mélodies
show her range and we would like to hear more. Hermann Prey's early
lieder recital for Decca is rounded out with familiar selections from
the two Figaro operas and other Mozart. Maggie Teyte's inimitable
style is in evidence, whether in French, German or English, even
Dvorak's "Humoresque" turned into a sort of Scots folksong.

Martti
Talvela is heard in lieder, Schumann, Mussorgsky and Rachmaninov,
giving a somewhat one-sided view of his career and capabilities.
Jennie Tourel can be admired for the style and élan, but it is
unfortunate that she was captured by the American Decca engineers so
late in her career. Gundula Janowitz can be admired for her
perfection, Frieda Leider for the documentary value of a singing style
that is no longer fashionable. Renata Tebaldi's early recordings show
that she always lacked a trill, but the sumptuous voice at that stage
was sufficient. An album of duets recorded with Franco Corelli is
divided among the CDs devoted to the two singers, showing the rich
lower voice that came to replace the soprano's increasingly uncertain
high notes. On the Corelli disc we are reminded that he was more
stylish than he is given credit for being, though the items from Faust,
sung in his peculiar variety of French, might have been replaced by,
for example, selections from the Salzburg Trovatore, a live
recording which is certainly more essential in demonstrating the
qualities that made him so exciting a performer. Leontyne Price is in
glorious form in an album recorded when she was in her mid-50s, and it
is unfortunate that nothing earlier was available, while once again
the fillers are of dubious quality. Birgit Nilsson gets to show off
not only her Wagner (including a truncated Immolation Scene) but also
her Verdi (Nabucco and Forza), whatever one may think
of her stylistic adequacy. Erna Berger is heard in more lyric
repertoire than one might expect, but the selections are well balanced
between the stage and the concert hall. Teresa Berganza singing Mozart
and Rossini is a perfect pairing of singer and repertoire. When we
come to Mario del Monaco, the mixture of early and late recordings is
curious, the early items demonstrating the potential (Bohème,
Norma, even La Juive) and the later recordings emphasizing
the peculiar vowel sounds. The end of the first act of Walküre
even has a soprano, but what a sound! The CDs with Joan Sutherland and
Luciano Pavarotti include much music recycled from other CDs, while
Giuseppe di Stefano was captured far too late in this selection, the
voice in shards.

In
summary, the selections are not always consistent with the artist's
reputation, unlike Philips series devoted to great pianists, where
they were given access to material of other firms. Here it is only the
Universal group from which choices have been made. Do we really need
the items from various singers' Christmas albums, or "light"
music which has been treated with a heavy hand by an arranger? Most of
the discs, however, are more than worthwhile, allowing us to hear
people who have not always been well-documented, now under ideal
circumstances if not always in an ideal selection..